Theatre well known

Press, 20 January 1981, Page 7

Theatre well known

Christchurch’s Court Theatre is becoming well known outside New Zealand, according to Elric Hooper, the theatre s director. Mr Hooper returned to Christchurch last week after a five-week tour to Tokyo, London. Paris, New York and San Francisco. Actors who had worked at the Court Theatre and New Zealand actors working overseas had given very good publicity to the theatre, he said. But most theatre people were amazed at the work done bv the Court on a “terribly small” subsidy. “They cannot believe that we put on a string of plays like we did last year on the budget we have,” he said. “They always ask if I have left a nought off the end.”‘

Sponsored by the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, the trip enabled Mr Hooper to reassess his work at the Court Theatre. “When you are working by yourself in the theatre you get your head down and only see the one place. Getting away means you can reassess what you have been doing,” he said. During his trip he also contacted Nev/ Zealand actors to see if they would return home to work and approached literary agents about New Zealand plays. He would report to the Arts Council on his impressions of overseas theatre and how it compared To New Zealand theatre, new ideas on running theatres and on repertories. In 36 days away, Mr Hooper saw 26 plays.

Apart from a “superb” adaptation of “Nicholas Nickleby” by the Royal Shakespeare Company, he said he was disappointed with London theatre. Becuase of the economic situation, theatres were putting on. plays with small casts or revivals and the performances were not very exciting. New. York theatre was much more healthy, Mr Hooper said. There were long queues, in spite of prices being as high as $35 and even $5O a seat. Although New Zealand could not match the very best productions, its standards were equal to and sometimes “a damn sight better” than overseas theatres.-